Rosie Hooker Yoga retreats offer unique wellness experiences that aim to inspire, restore and awaken your heart, mind and body.
"I was honoured to join Rosie’s Bali retreat. Rosie is a knowledgeable, professional and dedicated teacher. She has a beautiful voice and her practice encompasses the whole being - physically and spiritually. The retreat was the perfect balance between yoga, activities and free time. Thank you for an inspirational and magical experience and the opportunity to make amazing new friends!" ~ Deb Hart
As I sit at my desk, daydreaming about my recent Bali experience, (organised by Rosie Hooker and her wonderful family), one thing that I simply cannot move past, are the beautiful Balinese people that I had the pleasure of interacting with during my time in Ubud. From the very first interaction, it was clear that the Balinese people have an inherent gratitude and spirituality, that surpasses anything I have experienced in my Global travels. For most Balinese, they have so little in Earthly possessions, yet are so rich in many other ways. I started my journey, sceptical, yet open-minded of what was to come, as I can honestly say that Bali, nor Yoga were ever topics that came up in conversation too often, until my wonderful, if not a little persistent wife, decided that she would like to join Rosie on what was her first hosted Yoga retreat…What can I say, my darling wife has a way with words, so before I knew it, I had booked Airfares to a Country I knew little about and quite frankly, the thought of daily Yoga, twice a day to be exact, scared the hell out of me! (It turns out that the term Shavasana, would be something that I very quickly would learn to love!!). On arrival into Denpasar, we were greeted by our very friendly driver, named Oka, who with either a massive amount of sheer luck, or pure skill, managed to navigate through the hundreds of Scooters, up through the sometimes less than ideal roads and into Ubud, our home for the next nine days. For accommodation, Rosie had arranged for the Yoga group to stay at a homestay; an almost magical place called Narasoma Retreat Centre (Nara means Human being, Soma means the Nectar of Life, a very fitting name mind you), situated very conveniently just off the main street into Ubud town centre and only a short walk to shopping and pretty much any culinary delight, one could imagine. The highlight of the homestay, among the fabulous breakfasts overlooking the pool, the ultra-friendly staff and unbelievably great AUD$16, one-hour long massages, were the purpose-built Yoga Shanti and Gompa Shala’s. I was particularly fond of the views and the sound of birds chirping and water trickling whilst practising our early morning Vinyasa flow in the Lotus Yoga Shala, which is situated on the rooftop of the retreat centre, overlooking the retreat. My first Yoga session, although slightly awkward due simply to my lack of experience and understanding of the practise, was very quickly made comfortable by the soothing tones of Rosie’s voice, guiding my somewhat uncomplying limbs into positions I never thought possible. by the end of the first session, I felt a great sense of achievement, and the patience and one-on-one care Rosie showed me and the other Yogi’s, regardless of skill level, was a testament to her obvious passion for all things Yoga. Throughout the week, I became almost competent in many of the primary poses, no doubt due to the very subtle corrections Rosie would make to my various awkwardly positioned body parts, as she floated past my mat. However, my truly life-changing moment occurred three days into the retreat, when I was laying still in Shavasana (which is an almost meditative state, used for relaxation at the end of a Yoga session). As Rosie played her Harmonium and hummed a mesmerizing song, asking Ganesh (the elephant-headed God in Hinduism) to remove our obstacles, I can distinctly remember the moment in time when I realized, that my mind was the calmest it had been in many years; not an easy feat for a person who has suffered anxiety for most of his life. For the first time in a very long time, my mind was at peace. When the group was not practising Yoga, Rosie and Richard (Rosie’s self-appointed Logistics Manager and Husband) had organised various excursions, all of which were designed to complement the commonality between Yoga and the spirituality of Hinduism so evident in the Balinese people. From Sound healings, to Water temples and rice fields, the theme was meticulously thought out and at times I found myself in awe of both the sites and the preplanning that went in to making each day such a seamless and pleasant experience for all who attended. Then there was the food! My biggest fear prior to heading to Bali were concerns around the quality and hygiene of food and its preparation as everyone has heard the horror stories relating to the infamous ‘Bali Belly’. Damn was I wrong! Each night Rosie and Richard had booked a different restaurant, both to ensure that all palettes were catered for and to also allow us to experience what Ubud had to offer. Needless to say, our hosts did not disappoint, and every restaurant was nothing short of spectacular. From traditional Balinese, to Greek, Italian, Seafood and everything in between, I was in food heaven! Overall, my Bali Yoga experience totally exceeded expectations. Although the scheduling allowed us to see many of the wonderful sites Ubud had to offer, I never felt rushed and always had plenty of time to lay around the pool, or shop in one of the many market areas around Town (or maybe even slip in a sneaky massage before yoga class!). Rosie and Richard were the perfect hosts, always relaxed, very accommodating and offering a wealth of local knowledge, having been to Bali no less than fifteen times. On that note, I would like to thank Rosie, Richard, Kristian and Maddie, all of whom made our trip such a pleasant experience. Your patience as we got used to the local currency, assistance during the Yoga classes and genuinely warm and friendly natures, added so much to the overall Bali experience, we are forever grateful. Now to book flights for next year! ~ Darren Michael
"I really enjoyed Rosie's retreat. This was my first yoga retreat and I found our homestay at Narasoma in Ubud was excellent. The rooms were beautiful and spacious and the pool, breakfast nook and yoga rooms were beautiful. I enjoyed stepping up to yoga twice a day under Rosie's teaching. I loved learning the benefits and structure of yin yoga which enabled me to open the hips, thighs, hamstrings and shoulders in a gentle way and the classes really benefited my circulation issues, energy levels and relaxed my mind.
Each day activity was excellent ranging from sound healing, water cleansing, a Balinese ballet and spiritual experience to walking through rice terraces and trekking to a beautiful massage experience and wonderful lunch. The restaurants chosen each night enabled us to eat freely knowing they were hand picked by Rosie for high quality food. I thoroughly enjoyed the retreat experience to Bali and not afraid to undertake another one in a different country as I love traveling to different countries to experience their culture." ~ Cynthia Powell
Each day activity was excellent ranging from sound healing, water cleansing, a Balinese ballet and spiritual experience to walking through rice terraces and trekking to a beautiful massage experience and wonderful lunch. The restaurants chosen each night enabled us to eat freely knowing they were hand picked by Rosie for high quality food. I thoroughly enjoyed the retreat experience to Bali and not afraid to undertake another one in a different country as I love traveling to different countries to experience their culture." ~ Cynthia Powell
"I found Rosie's retreat to be super relaxing with fabulous yoga, delicious food and fun adventures. I especially loved her morning flow classes which always left me floating through the day. I came home feeling like a different person" ~ Chelle Michael
Bali Retreat INFO
Our retreats include 2 yoga sessions per day. We start the day with Vinyasa Flow designed to make you feel alive and shine for the entire day, and restorative Yin Yoga in the afternoon to relax the nervous system, calm the mind and the body. We often have "mixed groups" of both men and women, beginners and advanced and tailor our classes to suit accordingly. Our classes offer both modifications and challenges and therefore cater to all levels.
MEDITATION
30 minutes of Meditation daily is included in all our retreats to increase focus, attention, resilience, mood and psychological well being. Meditation also reduces blood pressure, inflammation, menopausal symptoms and decreases feelings of anxiety. In a nutshell, meditation will make you healthier and happier. If you are new to meditation, we offer simple techniques to get you started and if you find meditation difficult to master we encourage you to use the session as a chance to relax.
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MASSAGES
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TOURS & ADVENTURES
There will be plenty of time to relax! Bali is a sacred place where people often find answers to questions that they have been asking and learn more about themselves. The people who live there spend their days creating offerings, giving thanks and prayers, and by doing everything in a mindful way. However if adventure is more your thing, we offer a range of activities from mountain bike riding through rice paddies and down a volcano to cooking classes and temple tours with a stopover at the Monkey Forest. There are many activities to choose from.
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